toy wish list

My creativity is being stretched to its limits trying to keep a toddler entertained with a limited amount of books and toys. Being stuck in a hotel room is not the most ideal situation for a curious toddler. I've resorted to using cereal boxes as stacking toys, bowls and small packets of creamers for sorting, and the hotel's telephone as...well, a telephone. Occasionally I would bring him to the hotel gym to play with the exercise balls. My backpack's zippers and velcros have also come in handy.

So here I am, (window) shopping around for toys that we can bring along with us on our succeeding trips back to Dallas. I'm very discerning when it comes to picking out toys for Bud. For now, I'm on the look out for toys that meet the following criteria: 1) something educational, 2) should encourage development of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, 3) must be convenient to tow around, 4) must be something Bud can manipulate with ease or at least motivate him to learn

Bud has been showing interest in puzzles lately. I like this set of basic peg puzzles from Melissa and Doug. The pegs make the puzzle pieces easy to grasp. Very ideal for teaching numbers, letter and colors. This Melissa and Doug Joey Magnetic Dress Up also caught my attention. Who says playing dress up is exclusive only to girls? I think this is a great toy for pretend play and will definitely enrich Bud's imagination.



They have this Melissa and Doug Deluxe Latches Board at our local library and Bud just could not get enough of it. He's very passionate about opening and closing doors and is attracted to just about anything mechanical. I'm positive this would keep him entertained for a significant amount of time.

Here's another one Bud would definitely be interested in, the Melissa and Doug Magnetic Hide and Seek Board. It's a fantastic toy for teaching associations. The pieces inside are also magnetic so they don't fall all over the place.
Now it's time to pitch these toys to P.

photos courtesy of amazon.com